Pigeons

Pigeons have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Domesticated since the dawn of man, theyve been used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with saving thousands of lives. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as “rats with wings. Author Andrew D. Blechman traveled across the United States and Europe to meet with pigeon fanciers and pigeon haters in a quest to find out how we came to misunderstand one of mankinds most helpful and steadfast companions. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn mans quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon worlds equivalent of the Kentucky Derby), as well as a convention dedicated to breeding the perfect bird. Blechman participates in a live pigeon shoot where entrants pay $150; he tracks down Mike Tyson, the nations most famous pigeon lover; he spends time with Queen Elizabeths Royal Pigeon Handler; and he sheds light on a radical “pro-pigeon underground in New York City. In Pigeons, Blechman tells for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird.